Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-03
FIKrNG ApYNAMIrE guns.
Lieut.. zaiiuslli's Experiments With
an Eight-lnch Gun. ,r
From tie Es,O York Times, NercA =;

an Eight-lnch Gun, ,r
From The Ysso York Times, NGrch 81.
Justas Lieut.. Zalinski was about to fire
a charge oftitty pounds OF dynamite and
nitro glycerine from his pneumatic dyna.
mite gun Yesterday afternoon at Fort
Lafayette a small boat, heavily
loaded with passengers from
Fort Hamilton, was carried
out of a direct course by the tide and ex-
actly In front of the gun. Among the
| passengers was :. ID. Schuyler, president
| OF the Pneumatic Dynamite Gun Com
pany. He had been anxlously Watching
| the course OF the boat, and when he heard
Lieut.. Zalinskl shout "All right! he
evinced desire to get out of sight. But
| the water was extremely cold and dan
| gerously rough, so he yelled to the boat
man to change his course and "get from
under that gum"
The other passengers had not noticed
| the gun, or rather had not recognized it,
as at first glance from distance 1t might
| be easily mistaken for huge crane.
| When they observed Mr.. Schuyler's anXi-
ETY. to get from under they naturally had
| no desire to take sides against him, feel
! ing that he was more intimately
acquainted with the gun than they were.
With one voice they ordered the boatman
to row, to row hard and "gst from under
quick" But the boRtman was set In
| his ways. He not only refused to quicken
| his movements, or to change his course,
but he informed his freight that he "Snow
hia businesS.n AS he said so, there was
| roaring screecn, 1t sounded like the
vail Of q discon ten ted elephant, The men
in the boat shutdered, then sighed with
relief to and Themselves hole. The first
OF four projectiles had been tred from the
gun and was shooting through the air at
the rate OF 200 yards second.
The rocky islet on which Fort Lafayette
once stood, and which ia now decorated
by its ruins was visited yesterday hy
| army aEdnavy men In large numbers.
Civilians, too, were numerous. -Four pro-
jectiles lay on q low wooden frame. EX-
cept while under inspection they were
covered with piece OF canvas. Each OF
THESE contained fifty pounds of dynamite
and nitro-9lYcerine. The projectiIe
prOper-the oOvering-was Of brass 80
inches long, fitting closely a gun with an
S-inch bore. The cartridge was conical IN
FORM. A wooden tail, the image OF An
overgrown potato masher, was lifted into
The base of the cartridge so that the length
Of the entire affair was about feet. The
men who handled the cartridges did so
with much care, the distinguished visit
moment tc lie down or be blown up,
Every body felt duty bound to stand close
TO the gun while preparations for Loading
wero in progress, and cut OF politeness to
Lieut.. Zalinski would have held the posi-
ton until the gun was fired, but before
the word was given he thoughtfully ad-
vised all VINO cares to do SO 10 retire some
distance.
Tue gun did not burst and a proJectiIe,
weighing 148 pounds and costing $3.50,
was propelled by an air pressure OF loo
pounds to the square inch mile or more
in 8 6-10 seconds. Its course through the
air could be seen with the naked eye.
When il dived beneath the surface 1t
showed the Vivacity OF its nature by
haaving up a mound shaped body of
water That glIttered in the sunlight for a
moment and sank only to be replaced By
another eruption OF an inky hue. The ex-
plosi0n had torn up the bottom. Four
SHOTS were fred, two at an elevation OF
IS dogs. aud TWO at so dogs. The second
shot rIcochetied. and when it finally ex-
plOded its resting place was marked by q
column of waller that rose 10 a height OF
hundred feet o. more. During the airy
fight OF the third proiectiie its tail broke,
and the cartridge turned ffy or more
sOmersaults before it mid its head in the
prescribed manuer. The fourth prolectile
did not explode, and is lying under water
of Coney Island Point waiting for
favorable opportunity to kick back when
it IS injertered with. The first projectile
was thrown about q mile in 8 6-10 sec.
ODds, the second one and q quarter miles
ia IL 40 seconds. toe third about the
same distance Ia 20 $40 seconds and the
fourth about two and half miles IN
25 4 10 seconds.
Toe guns with which the government
dynamite cruiser that Cramp tE Sons are
building will carry charge OF 400
pounds. III such charge were exploded
within 125 feet of the Tnunderer that
vessels SIDES would be mashed in. So
said Lieut.. Zaliaski. The bore of these
guns will be 10 inches. The cruiser will
carry three OF them. They will measure,
in the barrel, 40 leet long.